


Liquid Nitrogen

by orphan_account



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 3x03 speculation, Angst, F/M, speculative fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 10:26:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8282543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Caitlin is no longer able to conceal her transformation, she locks herself in the medbay and refuses to leave. Cisco will have none of that.Contains spoilers for episode 3x02.





	

Caitlin huddled in the corner of the medbay, staring at her hands in horror. White clouds were swirling around them, and almost hysterically, all she could think about was her 6th grade science class. They had dropped a bouncy ball into a tank of liquid nitrogen and then shattered it, the multicolored pieces exploding across the floor like glass. The white gas pooling in her palms was having the same effect - a thermometer lay discarded on the ground, plastic frozen into shards.

Caitlin wasn’t stupid - the moment she realized the persistent chills she had been feeling weren’t due to the air conditioning, she started monitoring her condition. Secretly of course - the last thing she wanted was for the members of Team Flash to suspect their doctor was ill. However, it was getting harder and harder to hide her symptoms, and the cold radiating from her hands was only the most recent development. Letting out a small sob, Caitlin tucked herself further into the corner, trying to touch as little as possible.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. “Cait, are you in there?” Cisco called, before trying the doorknob. It rattled, before bumping against the chair Caitlin had shoved under it. “What’s going on?”

“Not now, Cisco!” Caitlin called back, hoping she could hide the tremor in her voice. “I’m busy!”

However, it seemed her acting skills left much to be desired. 

“Is everything ok?” Cisco banged on the door again. “Caitlin, are you hurt?”

“No, it’s just - I need you to stay away!” Caitlin pleaded. Cisco stood on his toes to look through the window, his eyes widening as he saw her huddled in the corner. 

“Caitlin, let me in, please! I just want to help!”

“No!” Caitlin could feel tears forming in her eyes, but blinked rapidly to try and stave them off. Small droplets fell from her lashes, clattering to the ground as they froze. “I’m sorry, Cisco, but you have to leave me alone!”

“Ok, that’s it!” Cisco thrust his hands forward, directing a blast at the door. It shuddered, and the chair placed in front of it scooted forward. He blasted it again and again, letting out a shout of effort as the door finally flew off its hinges. Instantly he ran towards Caitlin, crouching at her side. 

“No, don’t touch me!” Caitlin hid her hands as best she could, but by now there was a small cloud of white gathered around where she sat. “I’ll hurt you!” Cisco drew back, his mouth opening in a silent question before immediately snapping shut. He turned and fled to the other side of the medbay, and Caitlin let out a small sob of relief. However, as she watched, Cisco began frantically pulling drawers open and rifling through them, sending supplies scattering across the floor. 

“What are you doing?” she cried. “You have to leave, Cisco. Please.”

Cisco shook his head, eventually pulling out a heated blanket. He plugged it into a nearby outlet, and giving it a few minutes to warm up, cast it over Caitlin. The heated barrier safe between them, he pulled her into a tight hug, the two of them still seated on the floor. 

“Shh, it’s ok,” he soothed as Caitlin tried to pull away. “You’re not gonna hurt me. It’s gonna be ok.” Caitlin tugged on the blanket, letting it cover Cisco’s chest as she leaned her head on him. He wrapped a hand around her shoulder and stroked her upper arm as Caitlin sobbed into him. 

“We’ll figure something out,” he said quietly. “It should be easy to build some thermal coils into a pair of gloves, or a jacket, or - or -” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Cait,” Cisco said after a long pause. “I should’ve seen something was wrong. We all should’ve.”

Caitlin shook her head, still pressed against Cisco. “Nothing you could’ve done,” she mumbled. Now that her panic was starting to subside, she was starting to feel exhausted. “Just - stay.”

“Ok.” 

The word was so quiet that Caitlin thought she had imagined it, but Cisco’s solid presence against her reassured her it wasn’t. She pressed a little closer to Cisco, the heated blanket feeling like the Great Wall of China for the amount it kept them apart. But she knew that Cisco was right - they would figure something out.

As Caitlin began to drift off, she realized that for the first time in weeks she didn’t feel cold.


End file.
